Electric weather-indicator



(No momm 4 2 8he ets' Sheet 1. w; M. KBLO'H. I

B'LEGTRIG WEATHER INDICATOR.-

Patented Sept. 29, 1896.-

WITNESSES: I

j @UOBNEY. v

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I W.'M.'KELOH. ELECTRIC WEATHER INDICATOR.

No. 568,444; Patented Sept. 29, 1896.-

. By lNl/ENIO/iiv A TTORNE Y; I

NITED STATES ATENT WALLACE M. KELCH, OF'DAYTON, 01-110.

ELECTRIC WEATHER-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,444, dated September 29, 1896.

A li ti fil d November 21,1894. Renewed A t 17,1896. Serial No. 603,067. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALLACE M. KELOH, of Dayton, county of Montgomery, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric eather-Indicators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as .Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in electrical weather-indicators, and comprises a system and mechanism for simultaneously indicating at any number of different localities,from a single or central point,inf0rmation appertaining to the approaching conditions of the weather.

The object of the invention is to produce a simplified and cheap instrument for carrying out the above purpose to the end that it may be generally adopted by all who may be desirous of having a weather-indicator conveniently located about their premises.

The electrical indicator to be hereinafter described is especially designed for those owning and operating a system of telegraph-wires which affords facilities for placing said indicators out on rental, similar to the custom in electric clock and telephone service.

In the drawings hereto annexed and forming a supplement to the specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the inclosing cabinet upon which the weather-dial is placed, said dial bearing various signs symbolical of meteorological conditions. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the operating mechanism removed from the cabinet. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the operating mechanism of the side opposite that shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4., a top plan view; Fig. 5, an enlarged view on the line 00 00, Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrow, parts being broken away; Fig. 6, a detached detail View of one of the angular pins; Fig. 7, an end View showing the set-screws for controlling the play of the armature-levers. Fig. 8 is a diagram of the circuit.

The same letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A designates the base-board, of wood or other insulating material, upon which the various electromechanical devices are mounted, and which is incloscd in the cabinet A. (Shown in Fig 1.)

B B and C O designate, respectively, two sets of electromagnets, eachset being insulated from the adjacent set. The two upper magnets B and O are mounted on the upright metallic frame E, attached to the base-board A. The object in employing these two upper magnets is to impart a more positive ac tion to the armature-levers. Otherwise said magnets may be dispensed with.

F is a permanent magnet of the horseshoe type, the lower arm of which is secured to the base-board in any suitable way.

Ct represents a bridge secured to but insulated from said lower arm of the permanent magnet and upon which the lower electromagnets B and O are mounted.

b and b respectively designate the armatures between the poles of their respective electromagnets.

c and c are levers rigidly attached to said armatures and having their fulcra on a transverse metallic bridge cl, mounted on the upper arm of the permanent magnet F and adjustable therein by set-screws cl and d.

The armature-levers c and c are permanently magnetized by the horseshoe-magnet F and are energized by the opposite polarity of the battery. For example, the pole-changer is moved to the left in order, by the depression of the key J, to energize one of said armature-levers, and said pole-changer is moved to the right to energize the other one of said armature-levers. The flow of current in one direction will neutralize one of the magnets, say B, while the flow of the current in the opposite direction will neutralize the other magnet, O. The magnets B and C are differentially wound. The upper magnets 13 and C Will be merely affected by the flow of current through the magnets B and O, and, as hereinbefore stated, these upper magnets may be dispensed with.

The outer ends Z)" of the armatures are constructed of non-conducting material, such as hard rubber, and extend between set-screws 1, 2, 3, and l, by means of which the play of the armature-levers may be regulated.

e is a ratchetwheel rigidly mounted on a shaftf, journaled in uprights g and g. The outer end of this shaft projects through an opening in the weather-dial, (see Fig. 1,) and upon it the pointer 7L, that indicates the matter in the reading-scale on the dial, is fixed.

t is a spring-pressed ratchet-pawl pivoted to the inner end of the armature-lever c. This pawl effects a step-by-step movement of the ratchetwheel 6 when said lever is alternately attracted by the magnet B.

t" is a gravity-pawl pivoted to the upright g. This pawl drops into the teeth of the ratchet-wheel e and prevents a retrogression thereof as said wheel is advanced by the pawl i.

j and 7tdesignate, respectively, ratchet and cam wheels carried on a sleeve is, loosely mounted on a shaft journaled in the uprights g and g.

i is a spring-pressed pawl pivoted to the inner end of the arn1ature-lever 0, through the agency of which the ratchet-wheelj and cam are rotated at stated times and for purposes hereinafter specified.

n and n designate angular pins fixed to the free ends of the pawls t' and 'L" and normallybearing 011 the periphery of the cam 7t.

0 and o designate the wires forming the circuit running through the elect-roniagnets and entering the binding-screws p p. The diagram shown in Fig. 8 shows a pole-changer or switch 1).

As hereinbefore stated, the electric circuit is operated from a single point, where an indicator is located, the pointer h pointing to the same place in the reading-scale on the dial at this point as 011 all the dials in circuit. The'excitation of the magnet B and the alternate closing and breaking of the circuit will in a manner well known cause the armature lever c and the pawl ithereon to vibrate. The pawl engaging with the ratchet-wheel 6 will move said wheel step by step, and the pointer which is rigid on the shaft of said wheel will be carried around to indicate the proper matter in the reading-scale, the operator being governed in the extent of the movement of said pointer by the pointer of the indicator supposed to be before him while manipulatin g the circuit.

In order to return the pointer to zero, current is sent through the magnet B by means of the pole-changer, and a depression of the circuitbreaker will vibrate the armature-lever 0 and cause the pawl thereon to rotate the ratchet-wheelj and cam 7;. As the highest portion of the periphery of said cam comes in contact with the angular pins n and n, attached to the pawls '5 and 'i, said pawls are raised out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 6. At this juncture the weight g, suspended from the shaft f and wound thereon by a cord, causes said wheel to rotate until the pointer arrives at zero.

The ratchet-wheelj and cam 71 can only turn in one direction, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 5, in which direction the pawls t' and t" are lifted out of the teeth of the wheel e when the highest surface of the cam presents itself to the arms n and 'n. It will be understood that the shoulders of said cam will raise said arms and therewith the pawls, while, if the rotation of the cam was the reverse of that named, the effect would be to press the arms and pawls downward, and, further, should atmospheric or other line trouble arise when the indicating mechanism is in circuit, the button-switch J may be turned and said mechanism cut out of circuit.

In the drawings I have shown a commutator s and brushes .9. These features have no bearing on the present invention.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In an electrical weather-indicator, the combination with electromagnets, and armature-levers c and 0 bearing ratchet-pawls thereon, of a ratchet-wheel e, and an indexpointer fixed to a shaft adjacent to the armature-lever c, an auxiliary ratchet-wheel, and a cam, fixed to a sleeve said sleeve being loosely mounted on a shaft adjacent to the armaturelever c, a ratchetpawl pivoted adjacent to said ratchet-wheel e to prevent a backward movement thereof, and angular pins fixed to said pawl, and to the armature-lever c said pins having a normal hearing on the periphcry of said can], and means for electrically exciting said electromagnets to advance the pointer, and to permit said pointer to return to zero, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination with the electromagnets B and C, the armature-levers c and c at tracted by the poles of said magnets, when said magnets arein circuit with the line-wires, a ratchet-pawl pivoted to said armature-lever, of the ratchet-wheel e and pointer 7L fixed to a shaft journaled in bearings adjacent to said armature-lever, the retaining-pawl pivoted adjacent to said ratchet-wheel, angular pins 71 and n fixed to said pawls, a cam-wheel upon the periphery of which said pins have a normal bearing, and means for placing said electromagnets in circuit with the line-wire, and for breaking said circuit to vibrate the armaturelever whereby the ratchet-wheel is advanced, and the pointer therewith, to indicate the proper matter in the readingscale on the dial, and means for rotating said cam-wheel to remove the pawls from engagement with the ratchet-wheel, to permit the pointer to be returned to zero, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of November, 189 i.

\VALLACE M. KELUII. lVitnesses:

0. W1 DUSTIN, R. J. MoCnnrv. 

